Fixture for self-serving stores



. 1,528,243 J. E. BRIGGS FIXTURE FOR sELF'sERvINe STORES Filed June 2.1923 2 Sheets-$heet l Mar. 3, 1925.

- 1,528,243 J. E BRIGGS FIXTURE FOR SE LF SERVING STORES Fild Ju ne 2.1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 gnvewl oz l J. E Em? Patented Mar. 3, 1925.

UNI T E D ST AT E S 1,528,243 PATENT "FFI'CE.

JOHN E. BRIGGS, 0F WICHITA FALLS, TEXAS.

FIXTURE FOR SELF-SERVING STORE S.

Application filed June 2, I

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN E. BRIGGS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Wichita Falls, in the county of \Vichita and State of Texas,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fixtures forSelf-Serving Stores, of. which the followingis a specification.

My invention relates to fixtures. primarily intended for selfservingstores and the main object o'f itheinvention is to provide unitsor. sections which permita rapid and convenient installation of. thesestore fixtures. Each unit .is soconstructed'that' it fits against andinterlocks with another unit, and a number of these units thus formcontinuous rows of shelving; By providing these sections'or units inuniform'siz'esand with suitable locking devices, they can not only bequickly erected and assembled, but also very easily detached and removedfrom the store without drawing a nail or taking out a screw, orsplitting a board.

Another object of my invention is to provide high shelving along thewalls, and low double shelvingv in the center of the room about threefeethigh and standing on a six inch base, and in this manner the clerkswill havea full view of every person in the room and of the contents ofthe lower shelving so that every article or division holding a number ofthe same articles can be labeled and seen from any place in the store bythe customer or the clerk. A further object of the invention is toarrange the shelving in such a manner that a customer is compelled topass almost every, article in the store before reachingthe exit. It isalso the purpose of this invention to arrange canned goods or otherarticles in such a manner that they will decorate the room and makeitmore attractive; 1

In the accompanying drawings one embodiment of the invention isillustrated; and

Figurel represents a plan view of aself serving store according to thepresent in-. vention,

Figure2 is'a transverse section along line 2-2 of'Figure 1;

Fi ure 3 is'a fragmentary elevation showt e joining of two shelvingsections or units; and" Figure 4 is ah'orizontalsection along. line4-4QofFigure 3. p

In the drawingsreference numeral 10 rep- 1923. Serial No. 642,941.

resents the main entrance to the store leading into a lobby or entrancehall 11, which may be provided with a seat 12 for waiting customers.Facing the door in the lobby is a show case 13 with glass top and sidesfor displaying sundry articles. On both sides of this show case arefurnished turnstiles 14: and 15 respectively for exit only and anentrance turnstile 16 is shown at the extreme left in Figure 1 close tothe bench 12'. Between the two turnstiles 15 and 16 extends a partition17 to which the exit turnstile 15 may be locked, and similarly the otherturnstile 14 may be locked to the show case l 'sothat the passage of'thecustomers may be directed to one or the other of these exitsifnecessary. 1

Each turnstile is'of the ordinary ratchet construction so as to turnonly one way and the ratchet has preferably eight catches and a springdogarranged to= engage in thecatches.

At 18 is shown a basket rack in convenient posit on for the customerscominginthrough the-entrance turnstile 16 and it is also in a con enientposition for the clerks stationed in the space 19 formed by the twocounters20 and 21 and" the show case/13. The rear end of the counters isprovided with a small gate 22 which may be locked to preventunauthorized persons to enter the space 19 for the clerks. On thecounter 20 is positioned an adding machine 23 and a cash register 24.preferabl at one end thereof. and at the opposite end ofthecounter 21are also placed an adding machine 25" and a cash register 26.for the useof a second clerk tending to the counter 21.

Along both side walls 27 of the store are arranged units or, shelvingconsisting of sections or units 28 a d 29. The shelving 28 ,ispreferably six feet high. six feet long. and twelve inches deen. whilethe shelving 29 is six feet high. six'feet long, and eight inches deep.each provided with a' central partition 80 dividin each unit into twincompart-ments 31. One of the end walls 32 on each unit is reinforced, asbest seen in Figures 3 and 4. by a face plate 33 secured to enact theunits and engaging with the ad-' jacent unit by means ofstuds 34: in theend wall thereof entering in suitable-key-hole shaped"apertures in' theplate' 33. In this manner, it willbe'evident that the sections areinterlocked and'cannot come apartwhen erected, but can very easilybe'removed' when necessary. This shelving continues the whole length ofthe store with the exception "of a storage room formed behindtransversely situated sections or units 36 of the same construction asthose already described and interlo'eked in the same manner, and of a refrigerator 37 positioned .incontinuation of the shelving 36 and handyfor refilling from the storageroom 35.

Between the shelving 29 along the left hand'sijcle wall of the'store andthe transverse shelving36 as well as between the refrigerator 37 and theadjacent shelving 28 are furnished gates or doors 38 for 010s ing thestorage room 35 to the public. Along the right hand'side wall27 andfacing the bench 12 in theentranee hall, are placed large bins 39intended to hold vegetables and fruits, and-smaller bins 40 are placedagainst the. partition 41 forming one side of the *lobby or; entrancehall and intended for smaller vegetables or fruits, andnearest the exitis'provided. substantial shelving 42 and 43 frir heavy articles suchaspotatoes, turnips, flour, salt and the like.

Parallel to the side walls and in continuation of the basket rack 18, Iprovide double shelving 44 also constructed in sections about threefeet, high, six feet long, and eighteen inches deep, standing on a baseabout siX inches high: This shelving is of similar construction to thatalready described, that is "to say, they have interlocking ends-45, butwith the central longitudinal partition 46 dividing the units intoshallow compartments facing in both directions of the sections.

' In transverse direction between the shelvings 28 and 44 are placedunits 47 similar to units 44. Between the outer ends of the transverseshelving 47 and the longitudinal visi'bleto the-customers, and a similarbar 49. is placed across the space of the middle transverse shelving 4%connecting it with the high shelving 28; By providing these sliding bars48 and'49, the customers will be compelled to take a circuitous coursethrough the store, while when the clerks fill the shelves withgroceries, the bars may be pushed in'along the shelving and permit freepassage in either direction, in order ment may be used for wider r toshorten the way for the clerk.

The arrangement of the store indicated in Figure 1, is intended for acomparatively narrow room, but a sinii arrange- Which case, a suitablenumber 47 and 43 may be added ac) and one or more extra, lengtlnv shelfunits may be placed p shelving 28 along the right-handiwall 27 andbetween the same and the bins 40 and shelving 42.

The window tables "50 may be used for display purposes.

It willnow be evident that every shelf and bin can be seen by the clerkspositioned in space 19 as the lower shelving in the middle of the roomdoes not prevent them from looking across the same to the side shelving28 and29, and similarly, for the customers-eonvenience, an open viewfrom any part of the store is possible so that he will know where tofind the article he desires to purchase. All of the shelving is placedon six inch high bases 55.

At the end of partition 51, running across the end of the counter 21 isfurnished a pair of gates 52 and 53,-the former intendcd to close thebranch passage 56 leading to the counter 20 and the latter to closethebranch passage 57 running alon the counter 21 and to turnstile' 14. Thisis for the purpose of directing the course of the customers so thatwhen, for instance, only one clerk is stationed in the space 19 he can'get all of the customers to pass by one of the counters instead ofhaving to attend to both of them and turn around first to the one andthen to the other of the counters as the customers pass it. These doorsmay be fastened in open position or locked in closed position asdesired.

The storage room 35 is equipped with counters 58, shelves 59 and scalesfor the convenience of the clerks.

Upon entering thestore through the main doors 10, the customer passesthrough the lobby or entrance hall 11 and by the turnstile 16 into theleft hand passage60- between the side shelving 29 and 44 running towardsthe rear of the store. If he intends to buy many and heavy articles, hecan take a basket from the rack 18, conveniently positioned at the rightas he enters this passage. When he has reached the end of shelving 44,he has to turn to the right and proceed across the store to the shelving28 along the right hand wall, when he has to turn again to the right andproceed between the two transverse shelvings 47 until he reaches the lowshelving 44,- when he turns to the left, again proceed,- ing towards thehigh shelving 28, when. he may follow the branch passage 57 past thebins 43 and pay for his goods at the counter 20 and leave by theturnstile 153-01 he may proceed along the shelving 28 and the bins 39and turn back along the shelving s2 and go through the gate 51 along thebranch passage at counter 21 to pay '5 r the goods and p s out throughthe tui 14,

The shelibe erected in ostores and their use is not limited re a:serving stores.

Having thus described the invention,

what is claimed as new is:

another row of shelving units arranged transversely of the store roomand connect ed with the Vrearmost of said first shelving defining astorage department adjacent the rear wall; a row of bins arranged alongone side wall in continuation of the corresponding shelving andextending to the front wall, a second row of bins spaced from the firstrow and of substantially the same length, a show case parallel with thefront wall and spaced therefrom substantially level with the foremost ofthe rows of side shelving units defining a lobby adjacent the frontwall; the side and transverse shelving together with the show caseconstituting a self-serving store; a basket rack, and a row of doubleshelving units spaced from the row of shelving units along the secondside wall forming an entrance passage and terminating short of the rowof transverse shelving units, rows of other transverse shelving unitsspaced from each other and connected alternately with the doubleshelving units and the shelving units along said first side wall forminga zig-zag passage in continuation of the entrance passage; countersconnected with the show case, exit passages formed between the countersand the basket rack and bins respectively, and turnstiles placedrespectively said entrance and exit passages substantially level withsaid show case. i

In testimony whereof I aifix my signature.

JOHN E. BRIGGS. [L. s.]

